Sigh...
Matthew 13:55-56
Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"
The "brethren question" has been shown often to be inconclusive:
"These conclusions are not merely the result of "Catholic bias" and special pleading, as many charge. For example, the prominent Protestant Commentary on the Whole Bible comments on Matthew 13:55:
'An exceedingly difficult question here arises: What were these "brethren" and "sisters" to Jesus? Were they, first, His full brothers and sisters? Or, secondly, Were they His step-brothers and step-sisters, children of Joseph by a former marriage? Or, thirdly, were they His cousins, according to a common way of speaking among the Jews respecting persons of collateral descent? On this subject an immense deal has been written, nor are opinions yet by any means agreed . . . In addition to other objections, many of the best interpreters, . . . prefer the third opinion . . . Thus dubiously we prefer to leave this vexed question, encompassed as it is with difficulties. 203
[203 Commentary on the Whole Bible, Robert Jamieson, Andrew R. Fausset, & David Brown, editors, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1961 (originally 1864), 928; emphasis added.]'--- Source"Could Jesus Have Possibly Sinned or Succumbed to Temptation?"
"I suppose He could if He wanted to; but the 'REAL' question here is about MARY; isn't it!?"
The real question was about the former but as things go sometimes in these threads the subjects do change and so we ended up in the latter. No biggy.